West Portal station

West Portal station is a Muni Metro station in the West Portal neighborhood in San Francisco, California. It is built around the western entrance to the Twin Peaks Tunnel. The station consists of two side platforms, with the entrance at the western end. A non-accessible footbridge connects the platforms inside fare control.

History
Opening in 1918, the station originally was similar to a regular curbside stop at the entrance to the tunnel. But when streetcar system was partially converted to light rail in the late 1970s, the existing underground metro station was built in its place. The BART Board approved the name "West Portal" in December 1965.

On July 18, 2009, the West Portal station was the scene of a collision between a K Ingleside train and a L Taraval train. An estimated 44 people were injured.

The station was temporarily closed from June 25 to August 24, 2018, during the Twin Peaks Tunnel shutdown. A crossover just east of West Portal station, installed during the shutdown, was named the Malcolm Heinicke Crossover after a former SFMTA board member in July 2020.

West Portal is a bottleneck for Muni Metro trains in all directions, as automobiles blocking train traffic momentarily can cause cascading delays. During the shutdown, new switches and a new control panel were installed to improve manual operation of the intersection. In 2019, parking control officers were assigned to direct traffic through the unsignaled intersection, which reduced delays by 40%.

As part of August 2020 changes to Muni Metro, the K and L were through-routed as an all-surface line, with frequent S Shuttle service between West Portal and Embarcadero. Mini-high platforms were constructed on Ulloa Street at West Portal to provide accessible transfer between the K/L and subway trains. The forced transfer at West Portal was criticized by disability advocates.

On March 16, 2024, a motorist in an SUV crashed into the L Taraval bus stop at the station, killing a family of four. In April 2024, the city announced plans for changes to the intersection including transit lanes and turn restrictions. On July 16, 2024, the SFMTA approved a modified package of changes that included fewer transit lanes and turn restrictions, as well as a redesign of the "horseshoe" area at the station entrance into a pedestrian plaza.